Until The Family Curse Comes Full Circle
by BleedingHeartsoftheWorldUnite
Summary: Ask yourself, what if the curse wasn't just an evil curse of the land? What if it was tied to a certain family, maliciously, until death? Starting with what life could have been like before the prank, the teens will miss the days they thought that life was only a trial of acne and hormones. At least it couldn't get any worse, right?
1. Setting The Stage, pt 1

**The Analyst - Caution For The Wise:**

Handsome rounded plaque the first thing that the patient's eyes wandered to upon entering the neat office, the sleek snarling feline figurine and personal photographs facing inwards to discourage prying peepers, Dr. Hill stood at the window, admiring the sunny view. In part the sun-kissed landscapes reminded him of happier summertimes with his ex-wife, a honeymoon in Italian countrysides and vacations through various parts of Europe before she fell sick; yet even then there had been moments while making important family sojourns to Sweden and Germany. To be sure there was also a certain professional advantage of having the patients see him away from his desk that seemed to lessen the edge they felt when entering the office. More common sense than proven scientific theory, less of an edge meant that they would be more comfortable opening up, and the more at ease speaking one was, the quicker they could get to the root of the problem.

Tea cooling at his desk with the inviting aroma of oranges, the doctor pivoted at an alarmingly fast pace once his current appointment sat down opposite the lecturn. "Before we begin this session," putting forth a brief smile of forced sincerity, the therapist took his seat and clasped his hands together, "I would like to address a certain rumor that has come to my attention." Allowing a brief moment for the patient to either come clean or deny it, when the young man across from him only blinked in response, he repressed a sigh and resumed, "...Joshua, you and I have been acquainted for some time now. I would hate for something to come between the trust we have come to build between each other, so I implore you to tell me now if it's true that you have knowingly entered into a relationship with another one of the patients here."

Apprehension flickering momentarily across his face, the patient looked away from the professional, gaze wandering towards the window, to the freedom he was so close to achieving. Appearing to be deep in thought, even as a psychologist Dr. Hill couldn't tell if he was actually seeing the golden-orange outside or if he was trapped inside his own head. "I would hardly call 'porkin' and sporkin'' dating." Fingertips curling into the padded carmine leather, Dr. Hill could tell that his patient felt he had said the wrong thing, so he tried again as if he weren't talking to one of his peers, "W-we never put a label on it." Moment of sputtering aside, the fact that the patient wanted to correct himself was a very good sign towards his rehabilitation.

Good, he nodded his head at the boy. "You've made outstanding progress Joshua, and with a few more sessions I think we could be ready to release you back into the world. To your family and friends. That poor creature," tone sharpening in the back of his throat, there was something underlying the way that he said 'creature' that even his patient was sure to catch, "she has had to endure so much in her young life. Then again," the smile came again, but this time there was more truthfulness behind it, "you already knew that, didn't you? The both of you are in the same support group, if I recall correctly. I hold on to the hope that it's true that with time anyone can be healed with the proper care, but that girl... that girl may never fully be right. For you to encourage her when you're so close to leaving her would be cruel."

"..." Slow from the heavy doses of medication, the patient peered at his doctor in confusion, almost as if he couldn't quite believe what he heard, "A-are you saying that I should break up with Fawn?"

Regarding the patient before him pensively, Dr. Hill sat back in his seat, mouth popping and clicking as he made his stance on the situation more... understandable, "As I'm sure you're aware, the girl you know as Fawn is very unwell," the doctor clarified with a slight head tilt, "with her anxieties and tribulations come a family history of deep depression and psychotic breaks. No doubt traumatized, I'm saying that her condition requires understanding, and not only because her background makes her a prime candidate for some very serious diagnoses. As your friend Joshua, I would strongly recommend considering what involvement with her would entail. For both of your sakes."

 **Matt - Sportsman's Sacrifice:**

Practice went well. All of his moves were on point, the coach shouted at the team a little less than usual, and a bevy of babes were lining the greens to cheer and watch the boys work up a sweat. Most importantly, _she_ was watching him with a smirk on her glossy lips and that seductive sheen in gray eyes rayed by wings of thick lashes. Looking impossibly sexy and cool at the same time, bottle blonde Jessica was sprawled across the top of the bleachers effortlessly, pretending to be reading some glamor magazine for women. Not girls, women. At least he was pretty sure that Cosmopolitan was for women; if his father were to be believed (and so far in life he had been a reliable source), Matt's mother had been a loyal subscriber since before either he or his brother had been born.

"Yo, Matty!" Calling his attention away from the girl he had known since fifth grade, one of the linebacker's teammates clapped his shoulders with a nod towards the line-up closer to the field, "Savannah totally is eying you! If we play our cards right, I might even be able to get us a double-date with her friend Janelle!" Totally high school, there was a certain hesitation in him that screamed he wanted Matt to approve of the crush. "She got a little something-something, right?"

Whopping gleefully at his friend's nod, the sandy brunette waved chipperly toward a cute redhead standing nearer to the back, a good two inches shorter than the rest of the girls. Much like chunky Jett, shapely (in the wrong way) Janelle was the kind of girl that was only in the group for one of two reasons, neither of which seemed very nice. Option one, Janelle had come up with them (or had parents with influence), so the girls tolerated her presence, or else she was the duff, only there to make the others seem that much more desirable. To be polite Matt waved at Janelle, who in turn blushed and returned the gesture underneath sizzling glares. Poor thing, Janelle seemed like a really nice girl, one that his mom would have liked to have set him up with.

More forward than most, Savannah and her click buzzed excitedly about while Jess stood up and stretched, the motion revealing the most taunting amount of midriff. More than anything Matt would have loved for Jess to wait up for him so they could go cruising in his new car, however Jett was really into Janelle, and even though they were more than compatible on a social scale, it probably was never going to happen without him. Bitting the bullet for his friend's happiness, the all-around-good-guy joined Savannah's lot and pretty much just nodded as the appropriate details were arranged. Chocolate gaze watching as Jess shrugged him off and collected her things, he knew in the pit of his gut that he had blown it for the zillionth time. Jess gave off so many of the signs that she would have been into it, and here he was twiddling his thumbs and sitting on his ass while everyone else got to take the field.

 _Better get used to this feeling_. Nasty in nature (mean nasty, not the fun kind), the voice in the back of his head tore him down another peg, laughing in the face of his fear of failing to make the scholarship next year. _You need to learn what failure tastes like._ Matt hated it when his doubts struck in full force, especially when they came on the heels of happiness.

"-right Matthew?" Cocky to the extreme for securing a date - even if it was only because he was doing a solid for a friend - Savannah tossed her long raven tressed over her shoulder, acting suddenly as if they had been an item for ages. Having no idea what it was the sharp-featured girl was talking about, he nodded meekly, just wanting to get away and head back to the showers so he could clear his head and think. "See? Matthew totally agrees with me that it was only a matter of time before destiny intervened and put us together!" No one there seemed to buy his interest, however not a word was said.

 **Emily - Cooperative Effort:**

Emily simply adored the scent of old paper - especially the kind found in text books - so it was not uncommon to locate her personage in the lackluster declining tool shed that dared to call itself the school library. Which was her exact whereabouts at that precise moment, leading the study group in the proper, sure to receive an A direction of their history project. Teacher wise enough to know that the outcome would be best (and the effort most cooperative) if the trio was paired up together, Emily had been put in charge of Sam and Beth. Beth would always pull her weight and go the extra mile to polish the extra nuggets of information that Emily would be exhuming from the depths of forgotten tomes while Sam would jazz up the presentation (naturally in a tasteful light pre-approved by the group leader). Today was day three into the two week limit, however she wanted to have all of the facts in place by Friday.

"Em," Beth braved her friend's ire and glanced up from her third or fourth combing of the wikipedia page, "Sam and I were talking," the blonde's dislike of confrontation caused her to cringe at being dragged into it, but she didn't otherwise react, "and we were thinking of cutting early on Friday to help set up... Hannah's gonna be out with one of her other friends, and Josh is still..." giving out and returning an octave higher, Beth's tone suggested to Emily that there was more to the story than the Washington family were letting on, "...out, so the house will be empty."

Protectively guarding her newfound information for an advantage, miss GPA 4.0 failed to see what Hannah and Josh being MIA had to do with bailing prematurely on the assignment. "So?" Words unable to sound any more snotty than what they did, Em arched her onyx sculpted brow. "I didn't realize your brother and sister dropped everything to join our cause."

Able to hit just the right amount of soothing necessary to appease the diva, Sam shook her head, "That's not what Beth was getting at." Exchanging an amused grin with the other dark-haired girl, the hazel-eyed vegan went on to imply that a certain someone was sure to be at the party, "I think what she was trying to say is that we wanted to take the time to get all dolled up, just in case anyone interesting were to show up." Michael Munroe was currently on the hunt, and Emily was the pussy cat that would take down the mighty man. Beth and Sam might have scoffed at the notion, but she _knew_ it was going to happen. "Don't you agree that her house would be the perfect place to do it?"

Clearly Beth and Sam didn't give two fucks about romance or her love life (sometimes Emily still questioned if the pair of besties weren't a little bit more than " _just friends"_ ), this was just their way of getting out of work early. Fine, two could play at their game. "You know what, that's a fantastic idea!" Sure to let them see just how much the notion appealed to her, Em straightened up in the unforgiving plastic chairs the faculty forced the students into using, scowling internally that the cheap mold was even touching her designer jacket. "You two bitches can stay here overtime with me, and then tomorrow if we make enough progress, I can take you two tomboys shopping for a decent skirt and not that crappy hemp shit Sam wears. Seriously, I don't understand how you can stomach letting anyone see you in that atrocity."

Frowning back at the insult on her fashion sense, Sam only grudgingly took the kiss Emily blew her. "Love you too."

 **Mike - Temptation Victorious:**

Words blurring together in the increasing gloom of his bedroom, Mike was getting ready to throw in the towel and just stare at the half-written essay until it magically finished itself. Obviously at this point in his school career he knew better than to just leave it be (even if there was still a week to go before the first draft was due), yet he was at an honest-to-god standstill. The hell did he know about abstinence and teen pregnancy? Yeah, yeah, with his reputation everyone from Mexico to Alaska probably assumed that he was the cause of many a three hundred + bill, however contrary to popular belief he wasn't that kind of guy. First and foremost, he had been raised better than that and with more integrity, and secondly, Mike was more intelligent to just go in blind. He wanted to be President, but last he heard his forebears had only become fathers _after_ collage and the plunge down the aisle.

And on that note...

Phone buzzing to life next to the cherry red wireless mouse, he could tell out of the corner of his eye that it was a girl calling him. Admittedly one of his more clever ideas, any and all girls ripe for the plucking were assigned a heart emoji next to their names, whereas the untouchables (such as family and no-shit-takers like Sam) were identified by simple faces parallel to the strength of the relationship. Odds were good that it was Hannah Washington, but of late there had been an increase in attention correlating with his most recent break-up, so there was a considerable list of possibilities...

Battling between curiosity and obligation, on the second ring Mike resolved to ignore the call and do his work like a good little boy. His friends would have been so proud! Icon blinking blankly as no further inspiration presented itself, the third ring earned a sideways glance. Nerves wearing thin as the prospect of excitement grew, on the penultimate ring before the automatic disconnect the teen switched his thoughts from actually attempting to be productive to appearing that way to further entice the opposite sex. On the final toll, Mike was so done with his paper for the time being that he answered the phone, taking half a second to read that it was Beth calling him.

 **Ashley - Takeout For Life:**

The worst thing in the world? Home economics, hands down.

Bisque on top with only the slightest hint of singeing on the sides closest to the edge of the metal sheet, Chris' biscuits were more than worthy of a passing grade, plus the pinch of cinnamon he added for her made them smell pretty great too. Once class was over, Ash would be totally all over the confections and happy, but while they were in a competition for grades, each and every one of his delectables was the enemy. Especially while her sorry ass under-cooked blobs were within eyesight. _I swear, if I ever get married -_ unconsciously her green eyes flickered over to a certain cute yet more than likely uninterested face - _I'm either making him cook for me, or it'll be cheap Chinese while we huddle close and bemoan our fate in Greenwich._

Heaving a dramatically heavy sigh as visions of her and her faceless (yet also somehow familiar) mate flickered across her mind, Ashley spread a bit too much honey over the lumpy dough monsters she built. _Typing another page for her next novel, hair tied back with reading glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose (thank you decades of reading!), a hand encouragingly patted the top of her head before stealing the cup of Joe that had cooled from neglect. Whoever he was, the spouse in her head hummed a happy tune under his breath as he collected a handful of her pages to read, no doubt skimming for mistakes or just to give his input because he cared that much about her profession. In the background, a car backfired..._

"Ash...?" Waving a hand in front of her eyes, Chris was gazing at her with a funny look bordering on concern. "You still with us? Blink once for no, twice for yes, and three times for finally ending your charade and your alien race is finally making its move on our miserable kind."

Snapping out of it, she blinked at her study-partner four times, each carefully measured. Sadly his grade point average would suffer for her inability to cook anything remotely edible, but on the bright side she wouldn't fail the class completely. At least that had been her first thought when getting paired up with him, but now they were pretty tight. _Not tight enough, alas this unfulfilled heart._

Playacting like he was shocked, Chris gasped, "No! Not four blinks, anything but that! Oh, almighty alien overlord, I beg that you find it in one of your six hearts to spare me!" Far from a great actor, he hammed it up and acted as if she were about to overpower him in the middle of the kitchen or something.

Although that wasn't a bad idea... "Six hearts?! That's brilliant!" Most interested in science fiction, she absolutely adored that idea for this one species she had been carefully crafting the last two years. "Chris, I could totally kiss you!" Half hoping against hope that he might just surprise her and take her in his arms, the other half of her brain was already whirring at high speeds, configuring what having six hearts would mean to the imaginary race, and more to the plot.

Crestfallen, he shrugged and put on a bright smile broken only by the wound he hid behind his armor, "No worries, so long as you credit me for the game-changing idea." Deflated somehow by this turn in events, Ashley only realized how close she and Chris had been once he fell away from her. _Always so close, yet so far away..._ "Keep up the stellar work, Ashley. Eh, eh, get it? Stellar work?" Yeah, she got it, but his joke wasn't the part she wanted.

 **Hannah - Return to Sender:**

Far from a friendship anyone in the situation would expect by any means, after the mix-up that put the dark-haired teen in contact with a different inhabitant of the apparently co-ed facility her brother was staying at, the two girls had opted to remain in contact. The patient from room 32b had penned a fairly lengthy reply to the letter meant for Josh; initially addressing the unorthodox decision to contact Hannah after the snafu to apologize for just opening the mail without bothering to read it first, 32b extended an olive branch with the confession that she recognized Hannah's name.

Claiming to 'click as a person on paper', according to the other girl Josh spoke about his sisters often (which definitely seemed like a Josh thing to do), and during the stories he told in group she had really come to like the way Hannah sounded as a person. In an attempt to assure the bespectacled girl that there were no ulterior motives other than making a friend, 32b elaborated on her side of the circumstances, words inadvertently causing Hannah to suspect that there was more than a friendly interest towards her brother. Beth (and anyone else probably) would have been creeped out and assumed that this was just a ruse in a grander scheme, but the elder twin wanted to see only the best in people, so she had humored 32b, writing a follow-up.

Sparked in part by a mutual understanding (and possible undercurrents of fear relating to) of what it felt like to be seen as an extraneous piece in a set, the most their bond had to do with the other two siblings was the odd polite inquiry of Beth (asked by Fawn), and the occasional prying into Josh's wellbeing (Hannah felt she had no other choice, as he hadn't always been the most forthcoming). Perhaps for her part Hannah had come to miss her big brother so much - despite Josh having only been gone for a relatively short while at that point - that she had been willing to jump on even the most insignificant scrap of information, and here was an inside window to him. Or maybe it was that she was honestly lonesome, feeling inside that her circle of friends only came around because she was a part of the package... Whatever it was, Hannah was truly glad for the way things had played out.

Chronicling her day in a separate notebook to remember interesting things to tell Fawn about in her next letter, Hannah had set aside her issue of Seventeen to think, the end of her cheap colored gel pen getting chewed as she sorted the details out. Ok, ok, so maybe it had occurred to Hannah once or twice the other girl was living vicariously through her, but considering in a way she was using Fawn as a proxy to be close to Josh, fair was fair.

"Hmm, what happened today...?" Hannah quizzed herself to try and recapture anything that stood out, but the week had been pretty boring. "Jeanne went home early during gym... Stacy and Gregory were fighting. Again. Tommy Di'Angelo had hit on our Jess, but she turned him down..." That was something to consider putting in at the least.

 _Today this guy from my English class hit on my friend Jessica. I haven't mentioned Jess much, but honestly that's because I just don't like her very much. Josh would probably say it's because I'm either threatened by her or because her blatant sex appeal was just a cover for some mad insecurity, but something about her just strikes me as a little two-faced. Beth's cool with her, but ehh. Seriously though, if you ever come my way I'd advise you to watch your back around her. Em too, but that's only coz she'll rip you a new one, and I don't like to see my friends suffer._ The frowny face was almost palpable. _As for the guy that asked her out, he's ok. Not too bright tbh, but he's not too bad looking. Not really my type, but I'm not sure why she turned him down... maybe she's waiting for someone else to come around?_

 _Speaking of coming around, Mike's totally single! I know I've said that before, and I'm sure you're probably getting sick me going on about him, but you're a girl, you know what it's like to like a guy! I dunno, maybe my situation wouldn't seem so pathetic if I could vent more to my friends, but it's hard to do when I'm not sure who will take me seriously... Sam's great and would probably be the best person to talk to, but she's off in her own little corner, trying to save the world one indigenous threatened animal at a time, so she doesn't have time for boys. Or girls. Love that girl to pieces, but at times I honestly wonder how her head doesn't explode! Even I-_

Hannah cut off abruptly, realizing that she was about to out herself. Much as she liked Fawn and fancied her to be a great pal, the bespectacled beauty wasn't prepared to delve into that can of worms just yet. Scratching the line out in a flurry of blue sparkle, this was the reason she was glad she kept spare notebooks and wrote out separate accounts before even the first draft. As her mother said, _fate favors the prepared._

* * *

 **Music:**

 **Caution For The Wise - Hotel California** , by the Eagles

 **Sportsman's Sacrifice - Lucky Man** , by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

 **Cooperative Effort - Gold** , by Imagine Dragons

 **Temptation Victorious - Simple Man** , by Lynyrd Skynyrd

 **Takeout For Life - Steady, As She Goes** , by The Raconteurs

 **Return to Sender - Bad Things** , by Jace Everett

Music plays a rather large part in my writing process, thusly I am in the midst of crafting a playlist for this story. The rule of thumb (so far) being a song per chapter segment.

 **Author's Corner:**

Hi all, and welcome! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my first Until Dawn fic! Like it or hate it, please review and leave me your thoughts! You'll have my thanks in the following chapter :) Favorites and follows are also appreciated! As are requests and suggestions, but I can't promise I'll know a way to make it work in my vision. Naturally any and all ideas shall be credited.

Ok, cheerful greeting out of the way, I have to admit that I've never played the game myself, but I intend to rectify that when I finally get my hands on a PS4, le sigh. Having said that, I've repeatedly watched gameplay and regularly comb through the wikia for information as needed. That matters, because my intent with this is to play with a certain theory I developed while watching the game: what if the Wendigo curse was targeted specifically and/or with prejudice towards the Washington family? I admit that I had a few other ideas as well, but the plot kinda ripped most of them to shreds and I have since forgotten most of them. Although that doesn't mean I won't toy with events a little :3 The game is hands-down one of my favorites, however there were one or two things I had issue with...

And that takes me to Fawn, my OC. If you are in any way familiar with my name, then you are aware that 99% of my stories have OC characters. I can't really say each and every one of them are great and ought to be given a chance (hell, I'm not even gonna self-promote), but I can say that this one really does factor largely into my idea. Had the game developers even hinted at a possible girlfriend for Josh, I honestly would have gone with that, however, as I have no knowledge of such a past or person, as a writer I came up with an idea I hope isn't over-used within the fandom.

Last but not least, I have no rights to any of the trademarked characters and with the exception of Fawn, they are the intellectual property of their rightful owners. Ditto for the music. You know that old song and dance.

~ Farewell, and I hope to see you again!


	2. Setting The Stage, pt 2

**Josh - Wisdom of Youth:**

Session over with freedom looming that much closer to the horizon, Josh opted to spend the remainder of his free daylight hours roaming the sprawling network of hallways, buggy chocolate gaze peering randomly into this or that room. Weekly movie night not until tomorrow (more than likely a non-threatening and all-around uninspiring "comedy" picture) tonight was game night, which meant either one big game of bingo or smaller gropings for whatever board game the orderlies handed the table. _What are we, eighty with bad backs and grandkids that totally suck?_ Not entirely a pervert per say, the last time he had peered behind a closed door the young man had gotten an eye full of one of the female patients getting _very_ familiar with herself, and the time before that he had actually caught one of the guards and a male patient in very willing - but no less compromising - positions. Sexual deviant not the first word that would be used to describe him, Josh didn't want to dwell on his therapist's words (or who he ordinarily would have been doing in lieu of wanting to bash his brains out with the DVD player), he merely wanted to be. And maybe catch another fond memory, but that was left in the lovely hands of Lady Luck.

Hedges tickling the brick sills with leaves of evergreen, on one side of the wing was an unbroken line of triangular windows shining bright with slanting golden rays, the other full of offices numbered with fancy silver name plates. Dr. Reynolds, Dr. Teller (because that name totally didn't conjure the image of a narc at all), Dr. Ortiz-Pena, Dr. Brayerson, Dr. Linn. All names that meant nothing to the young man, unseen faces that shifted from one nurse to the next patient in the far corner of the rec room. Of all the staff that kept Ocean View running proficiently, Josh had probably only seen fifteen or so of the boasted thirty plus orderlies and perhaps four or five doctors. Excluding Dr. Hill, who remained on-site at all times.

Fairly sure that that had been an arrangement in place before his arrival, although on one hand it would have been incredibly flattering, he stopped outside the second to last portal to watch the shadows of two birds swooping back and forth in their summer mating ritual. Glad to be human and having the luxury of fucking whenever he wanted to, the patient was barely fazed by the silhouette before the penultimate window, instead mulling over the ease in which he and Fawn could sneak about the grounds. Honestly the rec room was a laughing joke, movie night alone providing a delay of only fifteen minutes before the mush-heads were left to their own devices - not that they minded much, as it gave them that much more time to play tug n' plug.

Fawn.

Fuck, so much for not dwelling. Coming back to Dr. Hill's unusual and sudden amount of interest in his nightly activities, he gazed down at the wrist not bound with the label of crazy. It was by far the most redundant place to find a hickey ever (more so in the nut house), and yet the oddball had deemed it appropriate to leave her love bites in a place that would make it impossible for him to forget the hi-jinx of the night before. While there were almost always parts he could live with losing, the other side of that coin was just as true.

Big as the detective lamps they just loved to throw in your face in the movies, he could still see her spearmint orbs going wide as he confessed to smuggling in contraband. Not quite as bad ass as he would have liked it to have been, Hannah and Beth had only slipped him a packet or two of gum in each of their letters, but over time his stash had grown large enough to consider sharing with someone special. Not that Fawn stood much of a chance with him outside of Ocean View.

 _Just keep telling yourself you got mad game bro._ Annoying as ever, inner Josh scoffed the lie away as easily as breathing. _You like the girl, just admit it brosef._ Prepared to argue back with himself, the reel in his head clicked on and played back a film that showed a boy watching a girl grab the undercooked peas one-by-one off of her flimsy tray and toss them like grenades, the visuals swapping just after a particularly triumphant throw that bounced off the back of his shrink's head. Instead of sitting in the cafeteria, the girl was curled up in library doodling crass pictures on her own arm with a sharpie (God only knows how she had gotten a hold of it). When the boy had awkwardly approached under the guise of asking to barrow her pen to defile one of the books, she grinned up at him with an inky outline that made her smile look that much bigger (not to mention permanent), took the pen in her hands and marked the side of his face with a skittery line, and ran with the gleeful exuberance last seen in fourth grade. There might have been more to the movie, had he not covered the projection light with his hand. _She's fucked seven ways to Sunday, and you dig it. Face facts, fucker._ Grumbling to himself, Josh compromised by allowing that he enjoyed the distant loner shtick, and he liked the way she operated in the sack even better. _Girl a freak in the streets and a monster in the sheets._

 _Yeah, that was the extent of it... Not._

Whatever, so maybe she would have been a good thing to keep around, but that didn't change that Dr. Hill had made some pretty convincing arguments about pursuing their non-labeled arrangement. The girl was messed up with some serious demons, no doubt about it. _And I'm not equally screwy, Hughie, Dewie, and Louie?_ There was no way she'd ever function properly. _Because learning to fake it is impossible._ She would never fit into his life. _Says who? We both love horror, having a good laugh, in her own way she cares about me, and the sex isn't too bad either. If Dr. Phil over here doesn't want to see it it's his loss, because that crazy bitch is wifey material (although whose remained to be seen)._ While the recovering side of Josh knew that it would be best to follow his doctor's advice, that streak of teenage spirit of longing to buck authority and innate drive for proving independence convinced him that an alternate course of action was to be called for.

 **Jessica - Don't Call her Jones:**

Matt might not have been interested in furthering their friendship up a notch, as evidenced by the cold shoulder after practice, but that didn't mean that there weren't other options. Even from here to the bus there would be no shortage of gawkers, but Jessica wanted something new to play with. Rumor had it that prime candidate Mike Munroe was single these days, but word had traveled so rapidly there was no doubt in the blonde's head that there would be too much work involved with trying to make herself stand out from all those skanky bitches, so fuck that noise. When the time was right, Mike would be hers.

Speaking of skanky ass hoes, from her perch the perky blonde was able to see a certain trio emerging from the place with all the books. _Urgh, leave it Emily to be a slave-driver._ Jessica actually didn't dislike any of them - Emily had some killer fashion sense, even if Jess was more than content to make herself shine on a modest budget - but she wasn't sure how close she could say they were either. Emily was actually pretty awesome, smart, pretty, and totally gonna kick all kinds of ass someday, but she could be such a bitch! Sam was nice and super cute, but way too much a hippie tree-hugger. Also, the one time she had asked Sam to tutor her or whatever, Jessica got the feeling that the other girl was acting better than her just because she was smarter. Beth was probably the friendliest of the three, and was really welcoming. There really wasn't any kind of any issue with her, just major ground work to lay towards what she shared with the other girls.

Watching as they parted ways with more nods than waves, the tension and pissiness no doubt nearing a head, Jess noticed that Sam had gotten on her bike and was facing a direction other than where she lived. That was certainly interesting... Chances were high that she was only going to a rally for some stupid rat or nasty rotting tree or something, but then again, Sam was NEVER anywhere near anyone in a romantic sense, so maybe it was a secret boyfriend/girlfriend? This very well could have been a waste of her time, but on the other, if she were the one to crack the truth of Sam...

The thought made Jessica thoroughly giddy.

 **Sam - With All The Colors Of The Wind:**

Glad to taste the fresh air on her taste buds - even if the school used pollutants and harsh chemicals in its mandatory upkeep - Samantha put the pedal to the metal. Speed pressing against her like a gusty breath, leaving the teen with the sensation that she was flying, Sam took the decline fearlessly with her arms spread wide. Savoring the freedom, the blonde laughed away all the anger and annoyance that had been gnawing at her insides the last two hours. Toxicity was horrible for your health and happiness, and she absolutely frowned upon adding to the negativity in the world. It regrettably happened, but that didn't mean that she had idly sit by and let it remain.

That was why she decided to use her day off to visit the animal shelter her family volunteered at. Normally Sam would go home after school and do her homework before cycling downtown to help out - unless there was a particular cause of pressing urgency that demanded her attention - and if it was Thursday the blonde would head uptown to meet with her tutor. College prep was a pain in the ass, so she also saw him most Sundays, but that was never a deal set in stone.

 **Beth - With Apologies To My Girls:**

Released from the library for the night, Beth had to first deal with an irritated call from Hannah bitching her out for not telling her that she would be late in getting out (thanks mom and dad for taking Han's cute little car away after that one minor accident, thus leaving her as the taxi service), and then a text from Emily reminding her about their deal. While they were both still in the parking lot. _As if I could forget after spending an extra two hours in that crap-shack!_ Surly with everyone, Beth slammed herself in her car and locked the doors for their protection. Blasting the radio while taking several deep breaths to calm herself, all she could think of was an agreement that she had made with Mike.

But it had been made while they were deeply, desperately drunk, so he wouldn't remember it anyways. Probably. Not to mention the fact that the accord had been made during the most uneventful party in her sophomore year... Anyways, not only did her big sister have like the world's biggest crush on him, but she was in the middle of trying to set Emily up with him (even if she only half thought it would actually work). It just wouldn't be cool.

Hand slamming the horn in frustration, Beth glared at the smartphone peeking up at her from her purse. _If I text him, I will officially be the worst person of the year!_ However it wasn't like this really was out of the blue... In her defense, Beth had actually liked Mike just as long as sister had (albeit much more quietly), and unlike Hannah, she had actually made some headway into... well not a relationship per say, but definitely something intimate.

"Josh never should have had that party." Shaking her head, she thought back to a night back when they had all been in middle school, games like spin the bottle the end all be all. If she recalled correctly, Chris and Hannah had been each other's first kiss (much to Josh's dismay and Beth's delight), Emily her own first encounter with the same sex, whereas Mike had landed between herself and Chris. Though on several levels she thought that Josh should have made Chris and Mike smooch as pay back for them making her and Em lock lips, she had always been really happy that he chose to pick her. Maybe it didn't count as much because it had come down to her and a boy, but it had still been her.

Hating herself, Beth hit the call button.

 **Chris - Whirling Whisks:**

A black eye?! A black fucking eye?! Christ, Ashley was never going to talk to him again!

Bemoaning his luck to be mixing a second batch when a fight broke out in the middle of the kitchen, the rumble between partners causing many a spill, the brawl had been so unexpected that even if he had been facing their direction there would have been no saving the bowl in his hands from flying. But at least if he had been facing the other direction, his whisk wouldn't have hit Ashley square in the eye! Knocked back with a force that would have otherwise been braceable, the thick batter splattered outwards, caking the redhead his heart pined every second for, which would have been bad enough. But no, why the hell should he get a lucky break? Obviously fate had to make matters as bad as could be.

One minute moodily mulling that things with his dream girl couldn't possibly get any worse after such an enticing offer had been blipped over, the next thing Chris knew he was trying to get the whitish gunk off of her face. Thanking god that Josh wasn't there to make that comment into a dirty joke, the dirty blonde was virtually ignorant of the chaos erupting in the middle of the classroom. Though to be be fair that wasn't an entirely new development...

"Gerf ths shy it offh her mee!" Crying out through the running globs that seemed to keep filling her mouth, the distressed redhead was trying to pull the batter out of her hair, succeeding only if her goal had been to make even more of a mess.

Teacher indisposed trying to pry the warring boys away from each other, Chris dragged Ashley out of the room by the wrist, leading her into the ladies' room. Not thinking twice, he riped maybe half a million gritty paper towels from the dispenser and ran them under the water as needed to clean her up. Starting first with her nose so that she could keep breathing, he next dabbed gently at her eyes so that she didn't go blind. That was when he first registered the damage of the whisk, however spending these last few moments of his time with her, tending so gently to her needs, was all that mattered. By the time his work was done, her face was swollen and dark.

Seeing his handiwork (though hopefully all the good he had done seconds before counted for something), Ashley punched him in the shoulder with surprising strength, "Dip! Do you realize how hard this is going to be to explain to my parents?!" He realized how cute she was even when she was furious.

"Your parents?" Who else but Emily should enter the scene at that moment, scoffing at the used towlets that had yet to be disposed of? "Good luck explaining to the principle why Chris is in the ladies' room. Again." Were her hands built into her hips, or was that just her second favorite position? Chris could have believed either answer as accurate with her.

Defending his partner in crime since he wasn't there to do it himself, Chris could feel the heat of irritation rising at the back of his neck, "Oh come on, Emily, you know it was funny to see the lunch lady's underwear hanging up for decoration! It put some color into this place." Contrary to all the rumors he had ever heard of the elusive women's restroom, there really wasn't that much of a difference, outside of the obvious.

Malicious bitch that she was, he knew he wasn't wrong to say that she found it amusing. "I'm just concerned for whoever it was that had to get that crusty old cunt's panties in the first place." Sounding as if she hadn't the remotest interest (which Chris knew wouldn't have been the case in middle school), Em said with a practiced callousness that didn't need to be polished to match her outfit, "Josh has been missing in action for a while now - I'm half convinced she swallowed him up into her fat folds."

Edging around where Josh was and why, Chris shrugged nonchalantly, "Now if I didn't know any better I'd say that someone was jealous we didn't steal her fancies and air them out for a crowd to see."

"As if you could!" Annoyed, he had known Emily long enough to know when he had touched a nerve. Vindictive, Emily cast a sideways glance at Ashely as if noticing her standing there for the first time, "Sweetie, a word to the wise - some boys are quick to paint the fence but take forever to buy the house. Isn't that right, Chris?" Smirking as if she were grand master pimp, Emily shoved passed the duo to the stall nearest the window, leaving Ashley outright baffled.

 **Fawn - This Teddy Don't Belong To Eddie:**

Dancing a mock ballet recital for the large tattered stuffed bear (missing an ear) gifted by her nearest and dearest family, alone in a bland room done up with a worn wooden dresser and twin bed adorned with a heap of mis-matched quilts, a young woman with brown waves kissed by hints of auburn performed her routine until the end. She knew it wasn't very good, but that didn't stop her from imagining that her bear was clapping for her, just like _he_ used to. _Before I came to this place, this awful, wonderful place._ Awful for the circumstances that brought and left her there, wonderful for some of the people she had met there, for the set-up her father had managed. Emerald eyes threatening to tear at the joyous memories of a childhood cut short, she quickly cast her thoughts away from the past to the young man watching from her door.

"Eddie." Nodding up at his own name, docile Eddie offered a quick smile for his friend that vanished almost as soon as he was invited in. "Come, sit." Shrugging at the wooden stool near the foot of the bed, which was ignored for the only slightly more comfortable mattress, the young woman would have grinned back, were Eddie not there to dissuade her from her chosen path. "I know what you're going to say before you say it - you think I'm rushing into this, but I've given it a lot of thought I'll have you know!" Even as one of her oldest friends, the lank figure didn't look entirely convinced. "He's not what people think, and I love him. That should be good enough for you too! My dad isn't crazy about the pairing, but I know he's willing to give it a chance." Hearing that her father was alright with the twosome seemed to comfort Eddie, as she knew it would. "You know, I'm not worried about him hurting me. After what I did, I would deserve it."

Hearing a short rap on the wooden lining of the stone doorway, both Eddie and Fawn looked up from staring each other down. Eddie wasn't really comfortable enough with him yet to say much, but she greeted her expected guest warmly enough, "Oh, hey Josh. Have a nice session?" He shrugged in a noncommittal fashion, not feeling up to recounting the details, at least not with Eddie present. "Eddie here was just trying to talk me out of it. Can you please back me up here and tell him that seeing my brother isn't the end of the world?"

Jokester through and through, Josh couldn't pass up the opportunity presented and simply shrugged as if he had already come to terms with her depravity, "Well it'll make for an awkward Thanksgiving when I introduce you to the folks, but I guess I'm game for a little three-way action." The introduction to the family bit may have been just for kicks, but something in the way he smirked made her wonder if a little group action was fully off the table...

Enticed by the possibilities, Fawn stopped fussing over her bear to come around the bed to wrap her arms around Josh's neck, "Oh yeah? I just might hold you up to that."

Having spent more than enough time around the pair to know where this was going, the bleach-blonde rose from the squeaky mattress with a grossed-out scrunch to his albino-esque complexion, tongue out over thin, cracked lips. "Bye." Barely audible as a whisper at the best of times, as evidenced by the waves (Josh's was more of a 'get the fuck out and close the door behind you', but at least he had acknowledged the departure) even he was somewhat shocked that they had heard his farewell.

Once they were alone instinct told her it was time to pounce, however the look on Josh's face gave her pause. That didn't happen very often on either count, so that was more than a little bit alarming. "...What? What is it?" An end inevitable in the thing they had going on, the truth was that despite her intentions to distance herself emotionally and make it a purely physical relationship, Fawn had spent too much non-sex time with Josh and had formed an attachment. She cared about him, come hell or high water. All the time in the rec room with him, Eddie, the Tyler twins, and Kristan, the two times they had rebelled against rebellion and actually stayed to watch the matinee (the second time ending with her breaking her own rules and snuggling against him), the time he had caught a mild cold and she nursed him (with special permissions from Dr. Hill). It had all been accumulating to this, she knew it deep down, and yet that did nothing to ease the denial. "Joshua?"

Being Josh, there had obviously been some form of a plan in the way he wanted to break the news, but she knew that against a girl crying it became that much more difficult for him to stay on target. Loving heart beating in that chest, he was the sort of guy that wanted to protect, to bring joy and happiness. It was something she loved about him, even if things didn't always work out the way he had intended. "Dinner..." She tried to collect herself and laugh at his nickname for her, to hide the tears that were already beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes, but it was a losing battle. Refusing to let go of whatever brilliant scheme had come to his mind this time, Josh thumbed away the misty wetness from her cheek, "I think it's time to play a game."

* * *

 **Music:**

 **Wisdom of Youth - Death Of A Bachelor** , by Panic! At the Disco

 **Don't Call Her Jones - Feeling Myself** , by Nicki Minaj ft. Beyoncé

 **With All The Colors Of The Wind** **\- Renegades** , by X Ambassadors

 **With Apologies To My Girls** **\- Good Day** , by Nappy Roots ft. Gregg Street

 **Whirling Whisks - The Joker** , by the Steve Miller Band

 **This Teddy Don't Belong To Eddie - Like I'm Gonna Lose You** , by Meghan Trainor ft. John Legend

Some songs I chose for irony, others for the theme, and some were picked because they seemed to be (almost) perfect themes for the character. Really there are a number of reasons why I would select a song, but if you want to know any particular reason, feel free to ask! Although regrettably I cannot say that I'll recall :(

 **Author's Corner:**

Nothing comes to mind add to the fact that I had almost zero idea of what to put in for Jess' and Sam's segments. Thankfully after this chapter it isn't necessary for my story that everyone be covered: I just wanted to kind of give a baseline to show where people stood before the prank. Not to say that people won't creep in ;)


	3. Guilt Fear Anger Lust

**Beth - Socially Gray:**

Keys clutched tightly in her hand, two spares clattering together in dissent while her pinky caused her house key to scrape against her rainbow owl keychain, as she waited in her white Jetta outside of the eatery for Mike, the acid knots festering the contents of her innards had little to do with being hungry. Although truth be, she still could eat. Less than an hour had passed since Beth's call, and she was still trying to make it alright in her head. To her even this was a betrayal to her sister (and Em), but it wasn't like this was going to lead to anything remotely intimate.

This was just a simple lunch to remind him of their bargain, that was all. As if the dark-haired looker was going to wound those she loved that badly! For one thing, that was just a Grade-A cunt thing to do, and for another Beth was one of those rare few that had the ambition of saving her first time with a guy until marriage. If that day ever came. And right now, that seemed really un-fucking-believable as she wanted to focus on her studies and find what really drives her as a person. Josh was obviously going to follow their father into the film industry at some point, but that wasn't going to stop him from pursing other interests as well. And Han was such a fierce player, it would be a shame to see her settle on the bronze! No, this high school romance shit just wasn't for her, because Beth had vision for the future; even if it cost her popularity points, she was determined to see the best for all of those that she loved, family and friend alike!

 _Deep breaths girl, just like Sam is always telling me._ Jangling the metal and plastic together as she relaxed her hands, Beth did as her best friend often instructed her to do in stressful scenarios and cleared hear head through a series of deep breaths. In fact she had gotten so into it, Beth hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of the puttering exhaust driving right in front of her car, nor did she register how the ancient relic of old America died at her side with a clunky rumble and roar, generous enough to leave just enough room for her to slip through. Hell, she only returned to the world because of the obnoxious knocking on her window.

"Yo, you planning on keeping me out in the cold all night Washington?" Rolling her eyes at Mike as he was pretending to shiver in the hazy heat of the late spring sun, she could tell that there were still easily several hours of daylight left. Well, perhaps not several hours, but more than enough. "I'm going to starve to death at this rate! You hear me? Let's go!" _Note to self_ , she sighed as she collected her purse from the empty passenger seat, _never offer to invite Mike out for food again._ Even as she thought that, flashes of her brother and his guy friends' appetites came to mind, _Ok, scratch that. Don't offer to buy for ANY guy._

Giving him half a second to back up before swinging her door open, she grumbled the way only a friend would, "Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna feed you. Come along, you big baby." For almost a moment, she had completely forgotten all of her anxiety about the purpose of this mission, taking it second by second.

And then she saw Matt, Ethan, Chris, Ashley, and Hannah milling around the outside benches, waiting for them. Ashley had her nose shoved into an Agatha Christie book that was more dust than print by this point, the spine so worn it was next to impossible to know which one. Matt was chatting amiably with his elder brother, whom was in turn attempting to flirt with Hannah; irked that he would only be in town for a week from State, Beth didn't appreciate the move on her sister. As for her twin, Hannah (wearing one of her many low-cut shirts) was laughing at some joke Chris was telling, no doubt wishing that Josh were there with them. Grinning sheepishly down at her, Mike laughed with that easy smile that made it nigh insurmountable to say 'no' to him. Forget about even trying to hold even the pettiest of grudges. "I may have invited one or two people. Hope you don't mind."

Oh, she minded. She minded very much since that lot would eat through at least a month's worth of what she had been saving, but since they were all already there there was nothing for it but to just enjoy the day.

 **Emily - Sunbathing N' Swimming:**

Layer by incremental layer, Emily allowed her guard to drop as the crystalline-azure water rippled beneath her professionally painted toes. Technically there were still chores to be done around the house, meticulously organized notes to be filed in the color-coordinated binders for schoolwork, and on top of all that there were three assignments needing to be finished, however with all of the hard work she had put into the project today, a little R & R seemed in order. Whittling down the burdensome toll of responsibility until it was a single grain lost in a serene sea, the young woman leaned back to stare up at the sunny sky above, her ankle descending into the chlorine-saturated figure eight pool.

Fabric catching like a deep blue diamond squandered on an old bag of bones, in many ways it was a shame to deny others the sight of her clad in her shimmery fashion-forward one-piece. Paired with her designer frames, the look was dynamite - not even the likes of Michael Munroe could resist. On the upside, without an audience Emily could own up to how annoying the periwinkle ruffles were between her thighs. Alas, the price of fashion was discomfort (not that anyone would hear a peep about that from her on a good day), and once she had set her eyes on the princess seams running down the bodice there was no other option for the aspiring magazine editor.

Weary of the time slipping by, and by that she meant the ticking clock of her parents coming home to bitch and moan and scold her about every tiny little thing she had left undone before dinner, the teen dove into the depths of the well-cared for six foot hole in the ground. _Seriously, I do so freaking much in a day, but does that ever get the credit it deserves?!_ Fuming inside over the expectations building on her shoulders without an ounce of leeway or sympathy to accompany it, she kicked at the water with all of her might, reminding herself of all the hours spent dedicating her spare time to the swim team.

 **Hannah - Chris Is Not Having A Good Day:**

Sepia-tone orbs guiltily meeting her sister's across the table as all seven of them crowded together at the booth, Hannah mouthed an apology to her doppelganger. Judging from her grumpy frown Beth didn't look like she was having it, but once everything had been taken care of concerning that accident and her debt to mom and dad had been squared away, Hannah would totally pay her twin back the money! Beth knew her big sister was good for it. _I always have been, always will be._ As her siblings were so fond of pointing out, Hannah had a heart bigger than her head, however that didn't mean she was stingy with her funds. Their dad always cautioned them to be wise with their money, but she often wondered why she should be frugal when each of them had allowances large enough to dote on their friends regularly.

Beth didn't mind the occasional lunch and special splurge, but she reasoned that if she spent her dollars on her friends they would either become dependent on her or else it would become that much more difficult to sniff out the good from the bad. And that was only assuming that one ill fortune was to befall her generosity. Having said that, Beth was the first to help a friend out and even offer money to the homeless and destitute. Josh on the other hand... He was charitable in the sense that he would go out of his way to do things for his friends, but while he would put good money into his elaborate set-ups, most of it came from mom and dad. Somehow him putting away what he had gotten over the years had translated into them pretty much just handing him their credit card for whatever he couldn't wait for. Hannah understood that better now, but when she was a little girl, she and Beth shared the theory that it was because he both the eldest and was a boy.

 _Josh..._ Mind wandering back to the person she absolutely trusted more than anyone else in the entire world, the bespectacled teen realized with an ache that thinking of her big brother only made her miss him that much more. People would naturally assume that being twins Hannah and Beth would be each other's first source to turn to, however that wasn't always the case. Beth had Sam, whereas she had their older brother. It might have seemed strange on the surface, but when you were five and terrorized by your littlest sister (and sometimes her best friend) you'd be surprised at much you'd bond. Now that they were hitting adulthood, the dumbest part was that in his absence, Hannah had glommed on to his friends...

Ashley was alright, but nine times out of ten she was spacing out with some book in her face. No, mostly when the sporty romantic said that she would be hanging out with Josh's friends, that meant she'd be chilling with Chris. Though he was kinda geeky, it was in that endearing sort of way, and... Well, besides being her first kiss, she had had a small crush on him back in the day. Obviously Mike was where it was at, but there had been a part of her that had refused to give up on whatever childhood feelings there had been between the two. But that wasn't why she had called him for a ride after class! No, after Beth blew her off to spend time with Sam and Emily, her only options were to either ride the bus (no thank you), or hitch a ride with her old buddies. Really it was a no brainer, and anyways, out of everyone, she'd much prefer his driving to Ash's special brand of "granny driving".

Although looking at the redhead and the massive shiner she was sporting beneath her prehistoric relic, Hannah had to wonder if she had also gotten into a wreck... Must have, because her family weren't the sort for Springer antics, and she would eat her own hand before Chris hurt her.

Matty was apparently wondering the same thing, because when the laughter from Ethan's jest died down he stole a drink from the bookworm's sprite and inquired in an oh-so-casual manner, "So what's the story?" Nodding at her eye with his selection from the collected stash of communal fries, the wanna be pro athlete made sure that there was no confusing his meaning with the non-existent relationship between his friend and Chris. "I didn't notice you coming into fourth period with that black eye. Ash, is someone bothering you? Because I'll-"

"Matt. I appreciate your concern but I'm fine. You have my word that nothing's going on. Really!" Exchanging a glance with Chris - who for the record looked almost traumatized when addressed - she shrugged, "Well there was a fight in home ec..." It was the talk of the school, Kyle and Greg getting into it over Kyle's cousin Kelly in the middle of the kitchen, and yet there hadn't been many tales of injury stemming from the altercation. Well, not of victims outside the brawlers. "Some mutton head bumped into Chris while we were talking about an idea for my story, and he kinda just lost control of his bowl. Once everything settled, the teacher said it happens all the time."

 _Which part, the fist fights or the abuse?_

Mike snorted, "Wait, you mean that Chris did that to you? Ha!" Handsome face screwing up in mirth, Mike's warm-coco-on-a-cold-day eyes twinkled. "Ha ha haha ha!" Even with her googly-eyed blinders, Hannah had to admit that the jokes about Chris and Ashley being together in home ec had gotten so stale they were practically growing mold. But this? There was so much fodder in him giving her a black eye that all but guaranteed the laughs would continue.

Ashley was in no mood for Mike's shit it would seem, because the redhead snipped from over the top of her grilled chicken sandwich (the lettuce plucked off piece by piece and set aside in the box for later consumption), "It was just an accident. I've moved on, Chris has moved on, can we please just not a make a big deal out of this?"

Looking for a moment as if he were actually considering her request, Mike took an extra big bite of his mumbo-jumbo maxi burger deluxe. Granted him purposely eating his food like a cow chewed cud was less than befitting Hannah's ideal image of shining greatness, but she reminded herself that no one was perfect, not even Mike. _Urgh, I can't believe I even thought that!_ Appalled with herself, it didn't make facts any less true. "Hey Matty," he glanced over at his amigo, who was still hogging Ash's soda, "is it just me, or would it be accurate to say that Chris has a real eye for Ashley?"

Poor Chris looked just about ready to die on the spot.

 **Jess - To Murder A Sam Or Not To Murder A Sam, That Is The Question:**

 _The animal shelter, are you freaking kidding me?!_

Hiding inside the virtually empty tux rental store across the street from the sizable glass cage, gray eyes on the verge of twitching annoyance, Jess' opinion of Samantha soured considerably when it became clear where the other blonde had led her. Sure Jessica liked cute little puppies and kittens as much as the next girl, but eww! No other way to say it, this was where animals came to die. This was not only the most lame place ever to be dragged to, but Sam honestly spent her free time here? _Duh, of course she did_. She was like a saint of something, spending her time on the needy; if the saps in her flock happened to have a tail, all the better.

 _Urgh, to think I trudged my sweet ass all the way up here_! Half ready to storm the shelter and skin Sam alive, Jess stopped in her tracks when the super hot guy at the front register approached her, an all too familiar look in his baby blue eyes. He was no 10, but he wasn't a schlub either. "Miss, may I help you with something?" A shy smile. Maybe he had no idea how cute his dimples where, or his game was to come across as utterly defenseless before the kill. Either way, it seemed like just the kind of fun she had wanted to have when this crazy chase had started. "You don't look like our usual clientèle. Is this a pick up?"

Smirking at him with her fail-proof two-pronged flag of interest, the blonde eyed the height of his frame and pondered how it translated elsewhere. Assuming that she didn't grow bored before dropping his ass. "That depends." Eating off of the other's energy like it was the last copy of Katy Perry's new album, he returned her simper with an easy grin and a flash of pearly white tooth. "You free on Saturday?"

Scoring a date for later that prescribed evening, the hippie's page brightened in her book, just a tiny bit. Okay fine, Sam could live for another day. Who knows, if this went well, Jess might even thank her...

 **Hannah - Chris' Day Just Got A Little Better:**

Party breaking up to head on home for the remainder of the evening, or wherever, everyone just kind of bailed while Beth was left to clean up their used trays and leftover wrappers and trash. Prior to leaving with Ashley, who was in fact his neighbor (they had lived down the street from each other since the summer before freshmen year), Mike tried to tell Beth that there were people there that did that kind of thing on a regular basis, but as always she was too stubborn to listen. By all rights Hannah knew that she should have waited for her sister so they could go home together, but it wasn't like their parents would be home to know the difference anyways.

Dad was away somewhere in London at the moment, scheduled to be on the set of next summer's super-powered blockbuster motion picture full-time. Before that it had been music videos for Sia and Halsey and Kanye, and prior to that it had been some prestigious artsy piece that had had been nominated up the butt. Robert Washington was a name that more often than not translated into gold. As for mom, the last time either sister had gotten a call from her, Melinda Washington was up at the lodge dealing with continued rumors of some stupid prankster's idea of a good stunt. Dollars to donuts, it was just some wacko trying to get their dad's attention. _Because that was totally going to work._ In fairness, she could have just been making nice with the local tribes...? Eh, mom did a lot (and yet at times it somehow seemed like she didn't do much of anything), so it was hard to say exactly what was holding her up. Personally, Hannah felt as if for all the "good", quote unquote, that their parents did for the world, neither parent was doing enough for Josh.

Self-serving sorries in a sack for later, Hannah called out shyly to her favorite tech nerd as he ambled back to his car in defeat, "Chris...?" Far from entirely sure what had brought her out after him, she managed to slip out of the building just behind a retreating Ethan and Matt, something in the way he was currently carrying himself reminding her of middle school all over again. Mike may have been the object of her affection now, but that didn't stop her from having residual feelings for the boy that she had given her first kiss. "You look like maybe you could use some company."

Cocking his head in her direction as if startled that a girl would even acknowledge him after what had happened to Ashley, he looked at his best friend's younger sister in appreciation. "Maybe if we're lucky I can go two for two. Pretty faces are so overrated anyways." Laughing bitterly, for just an instant he was that oddly cocky guy caught making out with solid eight-and-a-half Britney Bickle behind the gymnasium again.

Shimmying between the asshole in the jeep that had parked crookedly against the passenger seat to get in, Hannah couldn't help but grin in spite of the almost overwhelming scent of pina colada air fresheners; once she was back in the familiar realm of old burrito wrappers and USBs floating in the cup holders like old pennies, she was safe. It wasn't quite the feeling of being at home, but there was a level of ease with Chris. _There always has been._ Not even realizing it, she was blushing when he got in next to her and started the ignition. "You really think I'm pretty?" Normally it was a tactical move saved for flirting, but the hair falling her face was being annoying, so she brushed it back behind her ear.

Verging on feeling uncomfortable based on the way he was shifting his gaze between her and the dash, Chris nodded, though his eyes seemed almost afraid of saying the wrong thing. Strange, he was normally one to just blurt it out there, unless it came to his feelings... _Nah, this is just a coincidence._ "You're beautiful, Han."

She waited for him to say something about Beth being just as good-looking (hell, or even Josh just to diffuse the situation), but it never came. So she just kept waiting...

* * *

 **Music:**

 **Socially Gray - Heathens** , by Twenty One Pilots

 **Sunbathing N' Swimming - Standing In The Sun** , by Grouplove

 **Chris Is Not Having A Good Day - Sweater Weather** , by The Neighbourhood

 **To Murder A Sam Or Not To Murder A Sam, That Is The Question - Military Fashion Show** , by And One

 **Chris' Day Just Got A Little Better - Hesitate** , by Stone Sour

Yep, just the usual struggle with finding the correct song, but nothing really worth noting. Well, I was a tad bit unsure with using Hesitate, as much as I adore that song. I think on a certain level though it really hit the mark, so no regrets!

 **Author's Corner:**

Nothing like a good delay lol. Socially Gray actually began in what ultimately became chapter four, but as it wasn't fitting as well with that chapter, I decided to move the segment into it's own chapter. From there I built the rest of the chapter around it, kinda sorta neglecting the previous bit until this was entering the final legs of my editing process... This works nicely though.


End file.
